Use 2 New Wells, Grand View Told

Grand View Hospital in Sellersville has gotten approval from the Delaware River Basin Commission to begin using two new wells on its property.

The hospital, in a session before the DRBC on Wednesday afternoon, also received approval to continue using its three other wells.

The wells are all in the east branch of the Perkiomen Creek watershed, according to DRBC records.

The new wells were drilled in 1990 and have the capacity to pump up to 185 gallons per minute.

The hospital's water system, which uses about 2 million gallons of water per month, is connected to the Sellersville system.

The hospital is not allowed to draw more than 3.6 million gallons per month from its wells.

In other business:

*A 1988 DRBC action that allows Catasauqua to draw up to 40 million gallons per month from its five wells was renewed.

According to DRBC records, the borough pumps about a million gallons of water a day to 6,711 people through 2,181 connections.

"There has been no reported complaints of interference with wells owned by others since the 1988 approval of this project," the DRBC said.

*The DRBC allowed the Lehigh County Authority to withdraw up to 150,000 gallons of water per day from a reservoir on Trout Creek in Heidelberg Township to service a section of Washington Township.

However, said DRBC spokesman Christopher Roberts, no connections can be made in Washington Township until a water conservation ordinance is adopted there. Such ordinances require the use of "low flow" plumbing fixtures in the construction of homes and businesses, Roberts said.